Calls for VBS-linked Bojanala mayor to go

There are calls for the new mayor of Bojanala Platinum District Municipality, Suzan Nthangeni, to go as she is haunted by corruption allegations relating to a R50 million VBS Bank investment scandal.

Despite the allegations against Nthangeni, she was back in circulation as mayor in August 2024.

Named in forensic report

ANC policy states that its members implicated in the VBS saga should not be in office.

Nthangeni, who was MMC for finance at Madibeng local municipality at the time of the VBS investment in 2017, and three senior officials were mentioned in a forensic report and held accountable for the VBS investment.

They allegedly contravened the Municipal Finance Management Act and were suspected of having stolen the municipal funds.

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An independent forensic firm, Movundlela Consulting, pointed directly at Nthangeni; manager of financial reporting Lucky Steenkamp; manager of expenditure and acting chief financial officer Siza Rikhotso; and Bonolo Koitsiwe, head of cash, investment and grant management.

The report said Steenkamp failed to keep an original contract document signed between Madibeng and VBS on the investment, as required by policy. The document went missing.

CFO instructed investment

Steenkamp and Rikhotso allegedly took the decision to invest with VBS.

In an affidavit to the investigators, Koitsiwe said Nthangeni and Rikhotso were cited in the report as those who recommended that VBS submit a quote.

Rikhotso allegedly instructed Koitsiwe verbally that they should go for VBS.

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